Tigers Past and Present Excel at Penn Relays

April 25, 2009

Philadelphia, PA – Clemson track & field athletes, past and present, were on display Saturday afternoon at the prestigious Penn Relays. Two former Clemson track athletes helped the men’s 4x100m relay to victory, while the Tigers’ current group of sprinters finished fourth in the collegiate 4×1 championship.

The 4x100m relay was bidding to become Clemson’s first champion in the event since 1999, but the Tigers came up short despite a season-best time by the group. C.J. Spiller posted a time of 39.33 in their fourth-place effort. Texas A&M (38.79) won the event, upsetting four-time defending champion LSU, who finished third.

Clemson finished seventh in the 4x200m relay, an event also won by Texas A&M. The Tigers posted a time of 1:23.12, slightly better from their preliminary round time. The 4×2 team consisted of Spiller, Ford, Guy, and Miller Moss.

It was an extremely successful afternoon for a pair of former Tiger sprinters. Travis Padgett and Shawn Crawford ran second and third legs for Team USA Blue that established a Penn Relays record for the 4x100m relay (37.92). Walter Dix and Darvis Patton were the bookends for the U.S. relay. Padgett, who passed up his final season of eligibility to turn professional, was a six-time NCAA All-American at Clemson from 2005-08 and is the NCAA record-holder in the 100m dash (9.89). Crawford was a three-time NCAA champion at Clemson from 1997-2000. He was Olympic gold medalist in 2004 in the 200m dash.